Beauty behind the “boerewors curtain”

Residents from behind the “boerewors curtain” in Cape Town have their property interests firmly vested in an imaginary dividing line, between Cape Town’s northern and southern suburbs.

The translation suggests a predominantly Afrikaans-speaking community. However, this culturally rich and naturally beautiful region is increasingly luring settlers of English and Xhosa extraction, all of whom are in need of a slower lifestyle.

Agents such as Pam Golding Real Estate Northern Suburbs also promote this lifestyle around large and affordable properties, a sense of community and slower pace of life. Buyers from upcountry also favour good service delivery due to strong municipal management and effective implementation. Business owners say that the city’s approach to facing onerous challenges head on, such as creaking infrastructure, and new transport development projects, speaks of sound strategic planning.

Cape Coastal Homes Northern Suburbs’ Principal Agent Benhard Wiese says that good infrastructure support and new development play a major role in buyers’ decisions. “This is one of the main reasons that buyers upgrade to more expensive suburbs the moment that they can afford to live in a suburban area where the median price is higher than where they reside currently,” he says.

As the northern suburbs form part of the greater City of Cape Town, potential buyers and tenants are also investing in a city that is increasingly becoming an investment destination. As members of the Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, residents stand to benefit from the progressive planning initiatives as set out in the city’s five-year Economic Strategy Strategy.

The city, which itself employs 25 000 workers through ongoing skills development programmes, is prioritising improved infrastructure, job creation, trade and development, as well as environmental sustainability. Sectors earmarked for economic growth include construction, transport, financial and business services, with projected spill over into the industrial, manufacturing and business areas. Ongoing business incentive programmes and improvement projects will further increase the economic pulse of the northern suburbs.

Private investment into industrial and manufacturing development has seen residents enjoy greater employment opportunities close to good schools, as well as retail and entertainment facilities within close proximity to public transport and community centres.

Both developers and residential buyers in the vicinity of business precincts in and around Willowbridge and the Tygerberg Valley mall continue to benefit from long term investment strategies. Agents say that house price growth here are driven by increased convenience – the result of the proliferation of commercial and retail property development in the area.

Wiese says that central residential locations close to retail, entertainment and social amenities are high in demand, such as seen in areas close to the Zewenwacht Mall in Kuilsriver. He says that increased building activity and buyer demand is taking place in suburbs both to the north and south of the mall. This, he says, is despite huge price differences between different estates, such as at the upmarket Zewenwacht, and the more affordable Stellendale Village in the same area. Both estates benefit from the close proximity to the mall, plus the infrastructural improvements that emanated from surrounding areas.

Good value for money and a multitude of housing choices await tenants and buyers behind the boerewors curtain. New investors, who soon discover that “local is the new lekker”, are awaited by rich entertainment offerings, such as the Bellville Velodrome, the Barnyard Theatre and the Durbanville Wine Route and Nature Reserve.